Ryne Sandberg's Retirement

Star's Departure Sends Message

Ryne Sandberg's surprise decision to walk away from baseball Monday was both an indictment of the Cubs and a golden opportunity for their redemption.

Sandberg, without question, was "the Franchise." He was the quiet rock of stability in an ever-swirling storm of change.

In the 12-plus seasons Sandberg was a fixture in the infield, the Cubs went through 11 managers, three general managers, 23 coaches and 202 players.

Bobby Bonds-Barry's father-was a Cub the year before Sandberg arrived. Derrick May-Dave's son-was a teammate when Sandberg quit.

Sandberg will forever be the Cubs to anyone born after man landed on the moon.

That an icon like Sandberg could turn his back on his team in midseason is proof enough the franchise is in disarray.

Sandberg and all those associated with the Cubs insist the pain of losing had little to do with his decision. But in the same breath, Sandberg reflected Monday that his greatest regret was never having gotten to the World Series.

If there were even a glimmer of hope on the horizon, Sandberg surely would have delayed his abrupt ride into retirement. But all ahead right now is darkness.

The Cubs are but a loss away from regaining the unwanted title of worst team in the National League. They had the crown earlier this year. They can get it back by losing to the Padres on Tuesday night in San Diego.

Sandberg, at least, won't have to worry about it. And he won't have to worry about finding help for the future from a minor-league system riddled with losing teams.

There was more-much more-to Sandberg's decision to leave than frustration with losing and futility in the future. The strong desire to have a family life was paramount. And, as he said in simple but eloquent words, he was frustrated and embarrassed to play beneath his abilities.

The lifelong goal to play in a World Series was the one thing that might have kept Sandberg struggling to balance his personal and professional lives, but it was so far out of the realm of possibility that he gave up on one to concentrate on the other.

Sandberg's departure, as poorly as it seems to reflect on the state of the Cubs, could, in fact, provide the seeds of salvation.

By leaving as he did, Sandberg underscored the need for change at every level in the organization-the need to build a winning tradition. And Sandberg provided the financial means, at least, to begin a semblance of construction.

Sandberg walked away from more than $15 million. The Cubs still owed him about $12 million on the remaining two years of his contract and the balance of $5.9 million this year.

Still to be negotiated is a settlement for the personal-services portion of the contract extension he signed before the 1992 season.

General Manager Larry Himes, who, unlike Sandberg, is in the final year of his contract and desperately wants to stay, now has an unexpected mother lode of cash to spend. All he needs is the means to buy a front-line pitcher to anchor a young and modestly promising staff.

Whether Himes can spend that money depends on several things.

First and foremost is the uncertainty of a strike. The owners submit their original bargaining position to the players union Tuesday, before the smoke of Sandberg's retirement can even clear.

All signs now point to a strike, and that likelihood has put a damper on most serious trade talk. The Reds and Braves traded Deion Sanders and Roberto Kelly, but both teams are in contention. There was a desire to do something to shore up their positions before a strike. Few other teams feel an urgency to deal until the strike possibility becomes more real or less so.

But even if there isn't a strike, Himes will find it difficult to spend freely for the players he needs. There are few quick fixes out there, and almost none for a team with as many problems as the Cubs.

Earlier this year, Himes was upset about reports that several disgruntled veterans on his team had created a clubhouse rift. If anything, the prolonged losing has only exacerbated that situation.

And Sandberg calling it quits can't help. Not that he was as big a factor in the clubhouse as he was on the field. But Sandberg represented stability. Losing him can only hurt.

Himes was ready when asked Monday where he planned to take his team-how he planned to spend his new-found money and what he hoped to do to replace Sandberg.

"That's a good question; I expected it," he said. "But today is Ryne Sandberg's day, and I'm not going to lay out any huge plan. This is his day, and I don't want to do anything to take away from it."

Fair enough. Sandberg deserves to have his day. But what about tomorrow?